Wilderness First Aid and Herbal First Aid
Importance of Wilderness First Aid What is the definition of Wilderness First Aid? Answer: Being an hour or more from higher medical care (i.e. clinic, emergency room, etc.). Wilderness first aid skills are traditionally thought to be essential for any outdoor adventurer. This is certainly true, but as the COVID pandemic and any natural disaster […]
Understanding cGMP, the FDA and Herbs
What Is GMP and why do I need to know anything about it if I work with herbs? GMP, or Good Manufacturing Practices, is a system of processes, procedures, and documentation that ensures manufacturing products such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals are consistently produced and controlled by established quality standards. This is important to understand […]
Learning about herbs, Part 1: Educational Goals
What are your herbal goals? Before talking about different methods of learning and gaining experience with herbal medicine, let’s talk about what possibilities exist for you and your goals in this path. What would you like to do with your herbal education and experience? Teach? Practice Clinical Herbalism? Open and run an herb store? Make […]
Baby nurse, in the wild.
Written by Suchil Coffman. About five years ago, I took Steve Pehrson’s Austere Trauma course at our school, and it hooked me. With no medical background behind me, I found myself fascinated by the oft-repeated phrase, “what would you do when there is NO higher care?” I learned about sterile fields, and worked my way […]
The Story of Nica Pather – Our School’s Mascot
In 2012, our school did our first herbal medicine clinic in Nicaragua with about 22 of our students and staff. Our clinical herbalist students were doing free herbal clinics for the village we stayed in, and our off-grid engineering students were working on slow sand water filtration units for a contaminated well. This is where […]
Wound Healing, Infection and Herbal Medicine
Wound Healing, Infection and Plant Medicine Before using herbal methods to treat wounds and manage infection whether at home or in the field, basic first aid skills are essential. These basic first aid skills can be learned from a variety of schools such as the local Red Cross. However, I recommend taking a the wilderness […]
Practical Herbal Medicine at Home and in the Field
Many folks who want to use botanical medicine in a practical manner are not quite sure how to start. There are so many books and so much social media on the subject that it can be overwhelming and lead sometimes to more questions than answers. Should I buy some encapsulated herbs at the store? Is […]
Cordyceps – amazing medicine, but how to work with it?
What is Cordyceps? Cordyceps is a very well-known and popular mushroom throughout the world. It has become one of those buzzword nutraceutical marketing fads in the USA. Numerous supplements and various types of preparations of this mushroom are available online and in health food and nutrition stores everywhere. Most of the hype is real, in my opinion, […]
A Letter from Suchil
Hello everyone, This is the week that Sam and I hit the road! For almost two years, we have been putting in a plan to move up to Taos, New Mexico to set up our second and full-time clinic, new home, and brand new campus with an expanded clinical, apothecary, and austere programs. A huge […]
Herbal Medicine for Post-Disaster and Acute Trauma
In disaster and post-disaster situations, first aid and herbal medicine skills and implementation could be life-saving. After the recent tragedy of the tornadoes in Kentucky, our hearts go out to all of the victims. We put together some information that could be helpful now and in future situations. From treating acute injuries to herbal protocols […]